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Monday, October 12, 2009

Running group anonymous

I’d been planning on joining a running group for a while now, but not knowing what our future was going to be, I decided to hold off until a job and location were set in stone. After researching local running groups in the DC and NOVA area, I found one that seemed to suit me: The Potomac Runners.

They meet three times a week; twice in DC for a track and tempo run, and once on Saturdays for a long run in Alexandria. I wanted to find a local place to meet up with people for the longer runs, so I set my alarm for 6:30 Saturday morning and made my way to the Mt. Vernon Trail at 8.

Since this is a holiday weekend, the group was very small, but everyone was really nice and welcomed me with open arms. (Even the Red Sox fan who immediately started trash talking with me.) Oh, did I mention that I got my hands on a Garmin FR60? I got an amazing deal and I’m really glad I have it. It doesn’t have a GPS but it has a heart rate monitor, I can save and synch my workouts on my computer, and it tracks my mileage. This came in handy during my first run with the new group.

I started out running with a group that was running at a 9 minute pace. I ran a little over 6 miles last Sunday so I didn’t want to increase my mileage too much. The goal was 7 miles. This is where the Garmin came in handy. I ran 3.5 miles with the group and turned around to head back. This trail went right through Old Towne Alexandria and since everything looks the same, I got lost. When I was done with my 7 miles, I asked for directions and found that I was about 2 miles off…BOOO! I ran (very slowly) for about a mile longer and then walked the rest of the way…only to find out that the group I was running with ran an 8 mile loop! I should have just stuck with them. Who knew?

So here are my stats from the run (I’m so glad I can do this now!) This is only from the 7 miles. Total: 7.08 miles Total time: 1:06:32 Mile 1: 9:29 Mile 2: 8:49 Mile 3: 9:32 Mile 4: 9:37 Mile 5: 9:21 Mile 6: 9:45 Mile 7: 9:58 Calories burned: 741 It shows that I’m burning just over 100 calories per mile. That’s good to know—I really had no idea. What I found interesting was that miles 1-4 I burned 105 calories per mile, then miles-5-7 I burned 106. Weird.

Now that I found a running group, I feel like I can start making some friends. Nothing’s better than having people to run with, even though I ran most of this run alone anyway. Once people get more familiar with me I’m sure I’ll find someone who can be my running buddy (no one beats my friend Ann though!)

Other things this we did this weekend included: Celebrating our friend Kelly’s 30th birthday in downtown DC Buying a new living room set (much needed purchase) Visiting with my cousin and aunt from Richmond as they were passing through from NY Trip to Trader Joe’s and an International Market where I found that Kabocha Squash everyone keeps telling me about (can’t wait to try it!) And of course, watching my team win the ALDS. Go Yankees! (and football too, but I never get to see any NY Giants games down here)

No luck with the fixing of the camera, by the way. We’re just going to have to save up for a new one. Until then I’ll figure out a way to get fun ways to brighten up the blog. Tomorrow’ I’ll have a few recipes (whole wheat pumpkin bread) and another run with my new Garmin. Yay!

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This is a blog about trial and error. It's about life, health, running, growing, making mistakes, and living to tell about it. To read more about me and the purpose of this blog, click the picture above. Enjoy!